No More Violence for Ethiopian WomenThe Bright Future program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia helps low-income women and girls become assimilated into society by providing academic education, life skills, and reproductive education. Sign the petition to support the program and tell the UN that it's a monumental step in preventing violence against women.

Children Should Be Students, Not SoldiersChildren who are forced to fight in military operations lose the opportunity to have a childhood. When children lose the opportunity to grow, learn, and pursue their dreams, their entire nation suffers as a result. Show your support for the "Children, Not Soldiers" campaign, and help end the militarization of children by 2016.

Libraries - More Planning, Less Banning!

Read banned books and open yourself up to a whole new world of knowledge!

In the latest controversy surrounding books, one Michigan mom has called for the removal of Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl from schools. Such a ban would deprive other students access to a critically acclaimed historical text because certain passages make her daughter "uncomfortable". Show your support for freedom of information and sign the pledge below.

Goal:10,000•Progress:6,525

Sponsored by:The Literacy Site

Banned books are a way to keep the public uninformed and to feed into false hysteria about the effects the books in question may have on society. Banning books is an attempt to shield people from subjects that some find offensive, inappropriate, or radical — and it's an assault on our intelligence as a common people.

The American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week runs from September 24th to October 1st each year, and encourages freedom in reading and the celebration of free speech. The ALA contends that a book doesn't have to be popular or deemed significant by a general population in order to be compelling and valid.

We need to promote further enlightenment and learning, not bury our heads in the sand, ignorant to the world around us. Libraries should foster a true desire for awareness and learning by encouraging individuals to read banned books.